I Have heard about recycling and what it is since I was in preschool, but how many of us actually recycle? According to Planet Aid, 34% of waste in America.  “In 2013, Americans generated about 254 million tons of trash and recycled and composted about 87 million tons of this material, equivalent to a 34.3 percent recycling rate.” (United states Environmental protection agency).  These amount of trash we are creating per year is hard to comprehend, but it is having terrible effects on the environment.  One example is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch which is a pile of trash pulled together by ocean currents and its size has been estimated to be about the size of texas or even twice that much.  Many marine creatures get stuck in or eat the plastic and other items that could be lethal to them.  This is just one of the ways our waste is affecting the environment.
We know the effects our waste can have on the environment.  Now how can we cut down the amount of waste we have?  There are many simple ways to cut down on waste.  One way, is to get a composting bin, you put your f ood scraps, used napkins, and even coffee grounds.  Another method, is to reuse items you have already purchased, this could plastic bottles, glass jars or anything you make use out of. This same idea carries over to not buying too much or wasting excess food or other products.  If every one makes a conscience effort to recycle then we could greatly cut down on our waste.